This invention relates to control devices for vehicles and more particularly to hydraulic control devices. None specifically the invention relates to hydraulically actuated steering, braking suspension and like devices for vehicles.
In the art concerning cars, hydraulic control devices for instance for steering mechanisms comprise a hydraulic pump permanently rotated by the main engine of the vehicle and this pump is frequently driven by a belt, supplying hydraulic fluid in a hydraulic accumulator through a circuit including a circuit breaker to limit the pressure in the hydraulic accumulation.
Since the pump supplies permanently pressurized hydraulic fluid which always is caused to come back to a tank even in case of opening of the circuit breaker when the steering or other device is not actuated it results a substantial power consumption which is heat dissipated. Further to actuate the steering device of the vehicle it is necessary for the main engine to rotate. Furthermore the outflow of the pumps increases with the rotational speed of the main engine while the power to be developed to control the steering device of the vehicle is more important when the main engine slowly rotates, i.e. when the driver of the vehicle is rolling at low speed particularly for parking.
The invention resolves the above problems by providing an electro-hydraulic unit for control devices, particularly for steering devices braking devices, suspension devices and like devices comprising an electric motor directly connected to a gear hydraulic pump, said electric motor and hydraulic gear pump having a common interface providing a lateral cheek for the electric motor, this common interface being formed in one part with body of the hydraulic pumps.